Taxis Act repealed and replaced with new Public Land Transport Authority

A Bill which repeals and replaces the Taxis Act [CAP 49] to regulate the registration and overall operation of public land transport within Vanuatu was tabled by Minister of Internal Affairs (MOIA), Charlot Salwai, yesterday afternoon.

The Bill for the Public Land Transport Act No. of 2014 establishes a new Public Land Transport Authority which will now be the overall governing body over public land transport issues and responsible for the management of public land transport operations in Vanuatu.

“This Bill imposes strict requirements with regards to the issuance of public land transport drivers permits, requiring all persons who are intending to drive a public land transport for a fee to attend trainings conducted by the Authority, as well as the Department of Tourism in the case of drivers intending to transport tourists for a fee,” said MOIA Salwai.

The composition of the members of the Authority includes the Director of the Department of Local Authorities, Director of the Department of Tourism, the head of the Traffic Section of the Vanuatu Police Force, a representative of the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Chairperson of each Public Land Transport Association.

There is provision for the Torba, SanmaLuganville, Penama, Malampa, ShefaPort Vila and TafeaLenakel Public Land Transport Associations to be registered with the Authority and all owners and drivers of Public Land Transport are to be registered as members of the relevant Association.

The Bill deals with a public land transport driver’s permit, provides for general driver’s permit. Clause 17 sets out the criteria that must be met before a permit officer issues or allows a general driver’s permit to be renewed and makes it a requirement for a person who intends to drive a public land transport vehicle for the purpose of transporting the general public, to and successfully complete a public land transport drivers’ training offered by the Authority.

It further provides for a tourist driver’s permit and the criteria that must be met before a permit officer issues or allows a tourist driver’s permit to be renewed.

It is now a requirement for a person who intends to drive a public land transport vehicle for the purpose of transporting tourists, to undertake and successfully complete a public land transport drivers’ training offered by the Authority.

The Bill imposes an obligation on a driver of a public land transport to ensure that his or her relevant permit is clearly visible to the passengers and must produce such permit on the request of a permit officer, police officer or person authorised by the permit officer.

It prohibits a person from permitting his or her vehicle to be used as a public land transport unless that vehicle has been issued with a valid public land transport vehicle permit and empowers the Minister on the advice of the Authority to limit the number of Public Land Transport vehicle permits that maybe issued and regulates the issuance of a public land transport vehicle permit.

Permit officers are required to issue such a permit only when they are satisfied that certain requirements have been met including, that the vehicle has been issued with a certificate of roadworthiness, that the vehicle is properly equipped for transporting, in comfort and cleanliness, the number of persons it is permitted to carry and other requirements set out in the Regulations, Road Traffic (Control) Act [CAP 29].

All public land transport drivers are obliged to ensure that the vehicle’s permit is clearly visible to the passengers and the driver must ensure that such a permit is produced upon the request of a permit officer, police officer or a person authorised by the permit officer.

The Bill also regulates the inspection requirement for all public land transport vehicles. Inspection must include ensuring that the vehicle has met the requirements of road worthiness under the Road Traffic (Control) Act [CAP 29], the standards as prescribed by the Tourism Council under the Tourism Councils Act No. 23 of 2012 and the standards prescribed by the Minister on the advice of the Authority.

Leader of Opposition Moana Carcasses questioned the existing number of public transports, namely buses and taxis currently operating in the capital but minister Salwai did not have the statistics, estimating the figure at over a thousand and saying the bulk is owned by civil servants and politicians.

The Bill for the Public Land Transport Act No. of 2014 was listed as the 6th in the 2015 First Extraordinary Session of Parliament.

So far Parliament has discussed and passed the Bill for the Supplementary Appropriation, Bill for the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing (Amendment), Bill for the Police (Amendment) and the Bill for the Public Land Transport.